A patient journey to the heart of the ancient Central Asian steppe where one man is hunting for treasure. But perhaps he's also trying to save his soul…Driven by a mysterious force, a Parisian teacher heads east. When his car breaks down in Kazakhstan, he decides to continue on foot. Destitute yet happy for the first time in his life, he wanders the endless steppes of Central Asia. Curious characters cross his path, from a shaman who ‘sells words' to the beautiful Ulzhan, a young Kazakh woman. Wandering apparently aimlessly through the steppes, they accompany him on a journey to find out what he really came for. Venerated auteur Volker Schlöndorff won the Palme d'Or at Cannes Film Festival in 1979 for The Tin Drum. Ulzhan screened out of competition this year.